


Interviews

by awgaskarth0805



Category: All Time Low (Band)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-25
Updated: 2020-03-25
Packaged: 2021-02-23 05:30:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,042
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23306425
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/awgaskarth0805/pseuds/awgaskarth0805
Summary: After years of letting interviews make him anxious, Zack finally decides to talk to the rest of the band about overcoming his fears.
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	Interviews

**Author's Note:**

> This is a request!

“Be sure to check out our new record, Wake Up, Sunshine, when it comes out on April third, hopefully you’ll love it as much as we do!” Alex exclaimed with a smile into the main camera on set.  
“And that’s a wrap, boys! Thanks for the great interviews, I’m sure your fans will love them! We’ll need three of you for tomorrow’s press, so you all can decide amongst yourselves which three will come in. see you all tomorrow!” the producer stated before walking off of the main set.  
“Alex, Rian and I can do it if you want,” Jack offered, looking at Zack. Zack didn’t reply, but Alex saw a hurt look appear on Zack’s face.  
“Hey, let’s decide that back at the hotel, I’m too worn out to think about making work decisions right now,” Alex said, giving a small smile to Zack.  
“That’s a good idea. I want to get some food, do you want to come with m, Jack? We can bring stuff back for everyone, then figure out about tomorrow,” Rian proposed.  
“That sounds good, let’s all meet in Alex’s room,” Jack replied.  
“Great, we’ll see you two soon,” Alex replied, leading Zack out of the studio, then starting on the short walk back to their hotel.   
The walk was silent, Alex was worn out, and Zack’s mind was too busy racing with thoughts for him to speak. While he wasn’t surprised that Jack had nominated him as the person to sit out on the press day, he was a bit hurt by it.   
Over the years, Zack had been the least vocal in interviews, especially since his bandmates usually had such large personalities, but this was because interviews usually made him nervous. Knowing he could say something that could get taken the wrong way, and even just seeing all of the cameras on him in such a small space triggered an intense anxiety in him, which he’d never really talked about before with his bandmates. Occasionally, they’d check up on him, and ask if he was alright, but he’d never sat down with anyone and talked about this problem in detail.   
Since he’d be alone with Alex for a decent amount of time before Rian and Jack got back with the food, Zack figured that now was the time for him to talk about this with Alex. Zack wanted to fix this problem within this album cycle and talking to the friend that would probably be the most helpful would definitely be a good start.   
When they got back to the hotel, they rode the elevator up to their floor, and Zack followed Alex over to his room.  
“I think I’m going to go on in with you for now, if that’s okay,” Zack decided as Alex slid his keycard in the door.  
“Yeah, that’s fine, we can find something good to watch for when the others get here or something,” Alex suggested as the two of them walked into Alex’s room. They both kicked off their shoes, ten sat down in the living room area of Alex’s suite.  
“You can turn on the TV, if you want,” Alex offered as he started to mindlessly scroll through his phone.  
“Maybe I will in a minute, I actually was hoping to talk to you about something before Jack and Rian get back,” Zack said, sounding as nervous as he felt. Alex looked at Zack and could tell that something was really bothering his friend, so he put his phone away, so he could give Zack his undivided attention.  
“Yeah man, of course. What’s up?” Alex asked. Zack took a deep breath and sat up some before finally talking.  
“If you guys want me to sit out on the press day tomorrow, that’s fine, but I was a bit surprised by how quickly I got nominated to be the one who doesn’t go,” Zack confessed.  
“I think Jack was probably joking, that choice isn’t up to him,” Alex reassured.  
“I know it isn’t up to him, but it kind of made me want to talk to you about how I don’t talk much in interviews, and I guess to just ask for some general advice,” Zack continued.  
“You can absolutely talk to me about that, but I’m a bit surprised that now is the first time you’ve ever thought to bring this up, since we’ve been a band for a long time now,” Alex pointed out.  
“Well, I guess that for a while, I thought that I’d grow out of this, but since it’s become the norm now, I really want to try to change it within this album cycle,” Zack stated.  
“Makes sense. So, what is it, man?” Alex continued.  
“Well, I’ve always wanted to talk more in interviews and other press tings, but it basically gives me stage fright, for lack of a better word. I don’t get it myself, like, I’m fine to go onstage and to play for a bunch of people, but to sit with an interviewer with a camera just makes me super anxious, which is why I normally don’t talk very much,” Zack explained, staring down at his feet.   
“I don’t blame you, interviews are very different from playing shows, so I don’t think it’s weird that you only get anxious about interviews. Is there something specific that triggers the anxiety in you?” Alex asked his friend.  
“Honestly, I think it’s always been the cameras that freak me out, especially when there’s more than one, like there was today. I guess that knowing that the cameras are picking up on my ever move makes me a bit nervous. Also, I don’t want to word something wrong and have our fans think I’m saying something that I’m not. Or worse, to have the media outlet edit something in a way that will draw attention to the story that is inaccurate,” Zack explained to Alex.  
“All of that makes sense, and is totally valid, man. to be totally honest, sometimes I get a bit anxious for interviews for the same reason. At this point, I’ve kind of learned to just deal with it, since people expect a lot from me as the front man of the band, but I always get nervous that something I say will get twisted or taken out of context. At the end of the day, you have to realize that that’ll probably happen some, but you know what you said, and most of the fans can figure out the truth behind what you said. It can be daunting, but it’s just a part of the job,” Alex replied back.  
“Wow, I didn’t know that you get nervous about that, too, man. Honestly, that’s really comforting to hear. I really want to talk more and share my opinions and perspective, and I know that it’ll get easier over time, but starting is hard, which is why I haven’t done it yet,” Zack confessed.  
“Well, I think that me, Jack and Rian should help you with that as a band as much as possible, then, since you’re really serious about this. When the other two get back, we’ll tell them that you’ll be one of the three of us to do the press stuff tomorrow, and we’ll figure out the other tow as a group,” Alex decided.  
“I don’t want you guys to feel forced to have me be one of the three tomorrow,” Zack said back.  
“No one’s going to feel forced, don’t worry. We all love and care about you, man, and if you want to try to talk more, and share your opinions and ideas in press settings, we’re not going to stop you, we’re going to help you,” Alex said, making both of them smile some. Suddenly, Rian and Jack walked through the door, holding a few bags of food.  
“We’ve returned with Mexican takeout!” Rian exclaimed, bringing the food over to the living room area.  
“And, some adult beverages to pair with it!” Jack added, sitting down with his friends.  
“That all sounds great, thanks for getting this, guys!” Alex said, already digging through one of the bags.  
“This all smells great!” Zack added, going through another one of the bags.  
“So, what have you guys been up to? I’m surprised that there isn’t a game on the TV,” Jack said with a laugh.  
“Actually, Zack and I have been talking, and I think that there’s something that he wants to share with you guys,” Alex said, looking over to Zack.  
“What’s up, man?” Jack asked.  
“Yeah, is everything okay?” Rian added.  
“Everything’s fine, but I was hoping that you guys might be able to help me out with something,” Zack started.  
“Yeah man, of course we will,” Rian assured.  
“Well, I want to talk more in interviews, and voice my opinions and thoughts much more than I currently do,” Zack replied.  
“So, just talk more when we do press stuff,” Jack said back.  
“It’s not that simple for everyone, Jack,” Alex stated.  
“Yeah, I get really anxious when it comes to interviews. Having more than one camera on me gets me nervous, then I don’t talk, because I’m always afraid that something I say will get twisted or misinterpreted by the fans, and I don’t want that to happen. I really want to talk more in interviews but getting so anxious makes me just silently sit while you guys talk. We’ve been a band for, like, forever now, and I really want to figure this out,” Zack explained to his friends.   
“Wow, I never knew you felt that way, man,” Rian replied.  
“Yeah, we’ve always thought that you didn’t talk much because you didn’t have much to say on certain subjects,” Jack added.  
“Well, now that we know this, I think that it’s our jobs as Zack’s friends and bandmates to help him figure this out until he builds up some confidence for interviews. A great first step is to let him be one of the three of us that’s going to do the press stuff tomorrow,” Alex explained.  
“That’s a great idea. Hey, I’m sorry that I kind of nominated you as the person to sit out, Zack. I really shouldn’t have done that,” Jack said to his friend.  
“It’s okay, I don’t blame you for saying that. But, I think that I definitely want to do the press stuff tomorrow so I can start to figure out how to not get super anxious and stressed in interview settings,” Zack replied.   
“That makes perfect sense. Who do you want to be with, then?” Rian asked.  
“I don’t really want to decide that, I think that you guys should pick. Obviously, having any of you with me will make this so much easier,” Zack said back.  
“I think it should be Alex and Jack,” Rian stated.  
“Really? I get why you picked Alex, but why me over you?” Jack asked.  
“I think that the two of you play off of each other very well and having that dynamic might help in making Zack feel more comfortable. Besides, I could use a day to just relax by myself,” Rian explained to his friends.  
“Well, I’m down for that, as long as that’s what you want, Zack,” Alex said.  
“I think that would be great! I’ll still probably be nervous, but Rian’s right, you guys and your combined energy should really help,” Zack replied.  
“Okay, me and Alex it is! Don’t worry, Zack, Alex and I will do whatever we can to help you talk and be less nervous,” Jack assured with a smile.  
“Absolutely, and we’ll do what we can to help you as a band, too, Alex promised.  
“You guys are the best, thanks for listening and not making fun of me, I really appreciate it,” Zack replied, making all of them smile.  
“No problem, that’s what friends are for, man,” Rian said back.  
“Now that we’ve figured that out, it’s time to eat up, let’s dig in!” Jack exclaimed as the four of them immediately started on their dinners.   
Zack knew that it would likely be a long time before he felt genuinely comfortable with interviews, but having his best friends helping him as much as possible would certainly make the journey easier.

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, this is a request for someone on here!! This is also my first story centered around Zack, and it was super fun to write something based on his perspective! Also, thoughts on the new song, Melancholy Kaleidoscope? I personally really like it!! As always, please continue to send in requests, I'm still working on some, but I have an abundance of free time due to everything going on in the world, and I'd love to fill some of it with writing your ideas! Thank you for reading, it really does mean a lot to me. Lots of love, Liv.


End file.
